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would disappear and return and go back again

English translation: disappeared and returned, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:would disappear and return and go back again
Selected answer:disappeared and returned, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time
Entered by: Caryl Swift

09:07 Aug 14, 2006
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: would disappear and return and go back again
Meanwhile, the savages brought out many big wicker baskets. They broke up in twos, and each pair filled a basket with ammunition to carry it into the cave. Taking a few spears or bows into the bargain, they would disappear and return and go back again, and that for quite a long time.

Dear native English speakers!
I'm having a hard time to make the phrase sound less awkward, but it seems too stubborn for me. Would someone please advise how to rephrase it to make it prettier and keep the idea (the savages going in and out many times as they carry the weapons)?
Thank you very much!
Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 00:15
disappeared and returned, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time
Explanation:
Taking a few spears or bows into the bargain, they would disappear and return, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time.

A suggestion

Could I also suggest that it might be better to say:

'They split up into twos . . .'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2006-08-14 09:19:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I missed the fact that you've used 'would', so:

' . . . they would disappear and return, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time'

Depending on the situation and on who the observer/narrator is, you could also say:

' . . . went on for quite some time.' (Slightly more 'adult').
Selected response from:

Caryl Swift
Poland
Local time: 19:15
Grading comment
Thank you very much Caryl! Thanks everybody!!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +5disappeared and returned, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time
Caryl Swift
3 +2would repeatedly disappear and return
Fan Gao
3 +1see suggestion
Mark Nathan
3would go to and fro into the cave
ErichEko ⟹⭐
3they disappeared then reappeared, in and out, and that for a long time
Abbatrans


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
disappeared and returned, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time


Explanation:
Taking a few spears or bows into the bargain, they would disappear and return, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time.

A suggestion

Could I also suggest that it might be better to say:

'They split up into twos . . .'

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2006-08-14 09:19:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I missed the fact that you've used 'would', so:

' . . . they would disappear and return, coming and going, which went on for quite a long time'

Depending on the situation and on who the observer/narrator is, you could also say:

' . . . went on for quite some time.' (Slightly more 'adult').

Caryl Swift
Poland
Local time: 19:15
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 76
Grading comment
Thank you very much Caryl! Thanks everybody!!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cmwilliams (X): or maybe something like... they would disappear and return, going back and forth into the cave for quite a long time.
10 mins
  -> Absolutely!The reason I suggested'coming & going'is because of the two syllables,echoing the rhythm of 'disappear & return'- to try and capture the repetitveness of what was happening.Thank you! :-)
agree  Jack Doughty
3 hrs
  -> Thank you! :-)
agree  Craig Meulen: agree with the suggestion as entered, without "would"
4 hrs
  -> Thank you! :-)
agree  conejo
6 hrs
  -> Thank you! :-)
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
9 hrs
  -> Thank you! :-)
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
would go to and fro into the cave


Explanation:
... they would go to and fro into the cave for some time.

ErichEko ⟹⭐
Indonesia
Local time: 00:15
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
they disappeared then reappeared, in and out, and that for a long time


Explanation:
The "reappeared" might change the sentence too much, I put it there to make the appearing and disappearing into a closer knit pair to sort of mirror the closely knit pair of in and out. Just a thought.

Question: Does the , and that for a long time need to be so emphatic or could be integrated more into the sentence?

Abbatrans
Local time: 10:15
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
would repeatedly disappear and return


Explanation:
Here's my suggestion:

"Meanwhile, the savages brought out many big wicker baskets. Splitting up into pairs they each filled a basket with ammunition to carry into the cave. Adding a few spears or bows into the bargain they would repeatedly disappear and return. This went on for quite some time."

Hope it helps.




Fan Gao
Australia
Local time: 03:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Chinese
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Dave Calderhead
21 mins
  -> Thanks Dave:)
agree  Romanian Translator (X)
55 mins
  -> Thanks Cristina:)
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
see suggestion


Explanation:
Working in pairs, they filled baskets with ammunition and carried them into the cave. With a few spears and bows thrown into the bargain, the toing and froing continued for (quite) some time.



Mark Nathan
France
Local time: 19:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 88

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Refugio: This is pretty good, though the expression is not too common in the US.
5 hrs
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